ISS National Lab-Sponsored Research Payloads Arrive at the International Space Station
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (December 9, 2015) – A variety of payloads sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (the ISSInternational Space Station National Lab) successfully berthed to the International Space Station (ISS) today onboard the Orbital ATK Cygnus capsule. The ISS National Lab is tasked with managing and promoting research onboard the ISS U.S. National Laboratory.
Payloads delivered by the Cygnus capsule represent commercial and academic payloads ultimately intended to benefit life on Earth, including:
MILLIKEN – VERTICAL BURN
Milliken & Company
Principal Investigator: Jeff Strahan, Ph.D.
Through this experiment, Milliken & Company will evaluate flame retardant and/or resistant (FR) textiles as a mode of personal protection from fire-related hazards. Studying FR behavior of different materials in microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. will aid in better designs for future FR textiles and will benefit those who wear FR protective apparel, such as military personnel and civilian workers in the electrical and energy industries.
ZERO-G CHARACTERIZATION & ONORBIT ASSEMBLY FOR CELLULARIZED SATELLITE TECH
NovaWurks, Inc.
Principal Investigator: Talbot Jaeger
NovaWurks has developed a Hyper-Integrated Satellite named HISat that provides complete satellite functionality in a nanosatellite scale package. This project will design and demonstrate a technology for on-orbit assembly and deployment of the HISat system from the ISS that should substantially reduce costs associated with satellite system development for space-based R&D.
SPACE AUTOMATED BIOPRODUCT LABS 1 AND 2
BioServe
Principal Investigator: Louis Stodiek, Ph.D.
The Space Automated Bioproduct Lab (SABL) is a single locker-sized facility that will enable a wide variety of fundamental, applied, and commercial life sciences research to be done onboard the ISS. SABL consists of a temperature controlled chamber that can house a variety of passive or active experiments. It can be automated or remotely operated by the flight crew or by personnel in a remote operations center on the ground. SABL supports automated collection of experiment data from various sensors and from high-definition video. It can display data on a touchscreen interface on the front of the payload or downlink data files and HD video streams to the ground for analysis by scientists anywhere in the world.
STORY TIME FROM SPACE – 3
Principal Investigator: Patricia Tribe
This the ISS National Lab-sponsored education project includes a variety of instructive stories that will be read by astronauts and videotaped from the cupolaA small module on the International Space Station with seven windows for observing and photographing Earth, spacecraft arrivals and departures, and spacewalks. of the ISS. In addition to the stories, the astronauts will perform simple physics demonstrations that complement the STEM concepts discussed in each of the books.
Additionally, the ISS National Laboratory supports a variety of investigations from NanoRacks, LLC, which through a Space Act Agreement with NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, facilitates use of commercial hardware onboard the ISS. Projects brokered by NanoRacks represent academic and commercial interests from U.S.-based entities. All of these projects fly under the official manifest of the ISS National Laboratory.
For additional information about ISS National Laboratory sponsored payloads, visit: ark3.issnationallab.org.
To learn more about the ISS, including past research and available hardware and facilities, please visit: www.spacestationresearch.com.
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About the ISS National Lab
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (the ISS National Lab) is dedicated to supporting and accelerating innovations and new discoveries that will enhance the health and wellbeing of people and our planet. In 2005, Congress designated the U.S. portion of the International Space Station (ISS) as the nation’s newest “national laboratory” to further improve life on Earth, promote collaboration among diverse users, and advance STEM education.
In July 2011, NASA selected the ISS National Lab to maximize use of the ISS U.S. National Laboratory through 2020. Today, the ISS National Lab works to make this unique laboratory environment available to U.S. government agencies and academic and private institutions, providing them access to a permanent microgravity setting, a vantage point in low-Earth orbit, and varied environments of space. For more information, visit issnationallab.org.
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